The Effect of Cell Suspensions on Electrical Characteristics and Plasma Properties of Applied Dielectric Barrier Discharge

Tremendous progress has been achieved in the use of nonthermal plasma (NTP) for multiple medical applications, including disinfection, wound healing, and treatment of skin diseases and cancer. A broad adoption of this technology in medical fields is impeded by the lack of standardization of devices and treatment conditions. Plasma exposure is often specified by setting the initial power source parameters and treatment time, but this disregards the feedback interactions between plasma and biological substrates. We correlate changes in the impedance of cell media, live cells, and cells of reduced viability, with the NTP properties and demonstrate the need to monitor plasma exposure. In addition, the feedback of the biological substrate on the discharge properties varies depending on the discharge type and configuration. For example, a biological substrate is a part of the overall electrical load on a power source in a floating dielectric barrier discharge configuration and therefore can affect the overall electrical characteristics and power output of the power source. This study underscores the importance of simultaneous monitoring the electrical characteristics of the circuit and the substrates, and provides information for the design and standardization of plasma treatment.